Abstract
Background: A few studies that have investigated the state of food security on relatively smaller samples of the student population in some institutions of higher education in South Africa have reported the existence of a persisting vulnerability, and low academic outcome among students as a result of the lack of food security. Implementation of the structural support by the government through the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), which has helped a significant number of individuals who would have not had the opportunity is not enough on its own. Evidence from the studies that have investigated food insecurity in higher education show that the extent of the problem has more wide ranging impact. To get a clearer picture of the prevalence, institutions need to document the food security statistics to adequately address the problem with the relevant interventions.
Objective: To identify, and describe the prevalence of food insecurity, and related coping strategies and recommend sustainable ways in which food security intervention programmes can be introduced at institutions of higher education and other supporting stakeholders to address food insecurity among students.
Methods: A descriptive quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted among full-time students enrolled for undergraduate study in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Johannesburg. Data were collected using a modified United States Department of Agriculture’s 10-item Household Food Security Survey Module (HFSSM)
Results and discussion: Socio-demographic characteristics of 175 participants who took part in the survey found more females (61.1%) than males (38.9%) with the highest participation in the 18 – 24 years (86.3%) age group. Many of the participant’s family household heads (38.3%) completed high school (matric) as the highest level of education and most of the household heads (40%) earned a salary every month. Over half of the students who used the students’ aid as the main source of income during the year (58.1%) indicated they did not have enough food to eat, and more than half (52.0%) of the participants indicated that they did not always have the kinds of food they want to eat, and only 31.4% responded by indicating that they had enough of the kinds of food they want to eat, 66.9% did not have enough of the kinds/types of food they want to eat, 66.9% and 75.4% of the participants did not have enough money to buy food in the past 12 months. In response to the identifying possible coping strategies, 81.1% of the
v
participants tried to make the food or food money go further, and 85.7% got food or borrowed money for food from friends or relatives.
Conclusion and recommendations:. A majority of the students on the student aid financial scheme as the main source of income during the year did not have enough food to eat, and most of those who sometimes had enough did not have enough of the type of food they would like to eat. The common reason that was given for not always having enough to eat by the participants was that they did not have enough money to buy food, in particular the food they wanted. Borrowing food or money for food from friends and family was the popular strategy that many of the participants used to cope. The recommendations are based on what other studies of the subject have highlighted, an ongoing scrutiny of food insecurity by universities, where they put in proper structures, personnel, and financial support to adequately address the problem since many are finding it to be a growing problem with significant negative repercussions on the affected population. As with all other universities that are coming to realise the problem, ongoing review of interventions and their effectiveness, in addition to proper governance with full involvement of the Department of Higher Education and Training in support of the initiatives is critical. The present study will build on more extensive research which must have a much wider reach in exploring the effects of food insecurity among the UJ student population.